The swim was started in 2012 and this is the second time residents have taken the plunge to benefit the center and remember one of the men the center is named after, Brain Leahy.

Leahy, who died in 2009, was a pivotal figure in the neighborhood. Often referred to as the “Godfather of Boston State College Football,” the Dorchester native worked tirelessly to bring more people to Tenean Beach and encourage residents to embrace the beauty in their own backyard.

While the waters were chilly, the National Oceanographic Data Center estimated water temperatures hovered around 40-degrees, it was the air and the wind that had swimmers thinking about returning to the water.

The crowd was chanting "It's not that cold!" seconds before taking the plunge.
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Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

The Annual L Street Brownies Polar Bear Swim, which is sponsored by the City of Boston/Boston Centers for Youth and Families/Curley Community Center and the L Street Brownies. Participants take the frigid plunge for fun and to raise money for a variety of causes.
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Patrick D. Rosso for Boston.com

The annual “polar bear” swim, thought to be the oldest in the country, has been officially organized by the L Street Brownies since 1901.

“It’s a feel good thing,” said Jack Dever, president of the L Street Brownies, a swimming club based in South Boston. “It’s always a lot of fun and it’s great to see so many families down here.”

To the left: Chico Malkofsky, 66, a South Boston resident led Tuesday’s procession.
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Patrick D. Rosso for Boston.com

Both the young and the old, the natives and the out-of-towners, some in costume, jumped into the freezing waters off the L Street Bath House Tuesday. The National Oceanographic Data Center estimated water temperatures hovered around 40-degrees and the air was in the low-30s with a healthy breeze when swimmers took the plunge.

Jim Zawiska, 34, of Waltham came in costume Tuesday. He was raising money for his synagogue.
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Patrick D. Rosso for Boston.com

“We’re freezing!” said Brigid Forestier, a 20-year Billerica resident as she waited to get into the bath house.

To left: Brigid Forestier, 20, a Billerica resident waited with her friends, Jake Myers, 13, of Billerica; David Poier, 48, of Arlington; Trina Forestier, 12, of Arlington; and Alex Sahtouris, 20 of Billerica.
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Patrick D. Rosso for Boston.com

For many this was their first time jumping in with the Brownies, but for one woman this was just another tradition. Dorothy Kerzner an 83-year-old yoga teacher from Danvers has been jumping in the waters off South Boston since 1971, when she was the first woman invited by the Brownies to take part in the swim.

“It’s like being baptized,” said Kerzner, who started her swim like she has for the past 43-years, doing a headstand. “It’s a fabulous time, it’s a lot better than drinking for New Years.”
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Patrick D. Rosso for Boston.com

One of the younger swimmers Tuesday was Jack Donaldson, an 11-year-old from Harvard, MA.

“I went swimming in it on Thanksgiving and that wasn’t too bad,” said Donaldson. “I don’t want to freeze to death so I’m going to run in really fast.”
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Patrick D. Rosso for Boston.com

Tim, 56, and Peter Regan, 53, were also getting ready for the swim with a little champagne. The two Boston residents have been doing the swim for over 20-years.

“The camaraderie is great and the feeling after the swim is exhilarating,” said Tim Regan.
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Patrick D. Rosso for Boston.com

Swimmers eventually lined up on the beach and charged into the water Tuesday with many screaming in pain and excitement as they hit the water.